“How do you know him?” She plants her hands on her hips and it draws my attention to her belt where a badge and handcuffs sit, amongst other things. It’s at this point that I realize she’s a police officer. My breath catches in my throat and I back away.
It doesn’t matter that I haven’t done anything wrong, I can’t help my reaction to her. The last time I saw a police officer—it was an accident, a total accident, I didn’t mean to.
“Well?” she asks again, I can see that she’s getting impatient with me but I can’t seem to form any words, the uniform that she wears rendering me incapable. My eyes track her face and her auburn hair.
“Lexi!” I spin around at the gruff old voice, my shoulders sagging at the sight of Roy.
“You know her?” the woman sneers at Roy, but he ignores her as he walks toward us and takes my arm lightly, pulling me away.
“Geena.” He nods at her and then turns to face me. “Is everything okay?” I can see what he’s asking but I don’t know what to say so I just nod and shuffle my feet. “You head on in and get started.”
“Okay,” I whisper, spinning around and practically running into the center.
I make a beeline for the office, taking my jacket off and hanging it up before I clear the boxes that are on the floor: a new delivery of supplies for the several classes that are held here each week.
“You wanna stay away from that one.” Roy’s voice has my head snapping up. “She’s plain mean. I shooed her away for now, but just know that she’s like a dog with a bone.”
“I—okay.”
“You don’t owe her an explanation as to who you are or why you’re here. Just say you moved to town.” He shrugs and starts to take off his coveralls. “I fixed the roof today so we shouldn’t have any leaks now.”
“Oh! Awesome!” I hold my hand up for a high five and he watches it for several seconds, finally realizing that I’m not going to put it down until he gives me a high five. His palm hits mine and then my smile turns into a frown. “Wait… you were on the roof on your own?”
“Yep.” He grabs his own jacket and pushes his feet into his normal shoes.
“Shouldn’t you have had someone I dunno… holding the ladder?”
He shrugs and turns around, holding his hand up in the air while shouting that he’ll see me tomorrow.
I shake my head at him but can’t stop the smile that kicks up the side of my mouth. He may be eighty years old but he acts like he’s still in his mid-twenties.
I flip the lock on the door when the last of the women from the self-defense class leave and head back into the main room, ready to clear all of the equipment away. I haven’t seen Lexi since the diner last week where I introduced her to the awesomeness that is milk and pie.
I had to cancel my Friday session the day after seeing her. I wonder if she thinks I’m now avoiding her.
When she ran into me—literally—and told me about her new boots, I knew I couldn’t walk away without having a real conversation. She’s awkward, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because she spent the last five years in prison without anybody to really interact with.
So, I gave in and did a search on her. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until her photo popped up on my screen, that’s what I’m gonna keep telling myself anyway. It was a pure accident, my fingers worked on autopilot. I needed to know who she is, and that I’m not working with a serial killer.
Fine, fine! You caught me... she intrigues me. So shoot me.
When I found out she was tried as an adult at the age of fifteen, I was sure that she’d done something really bad. I couldn’t believe that I’d let her fool me, but then I read the report and the anger surged through me like nothing else ever has. She shouldn’t have been tried as an adult, not for what she did.
I wanted to search for more, find all of the ins and outs of the case, but ultimately, I clicked off it, deciding it’s best for me to not get involved. No matter how much I wanted to.
She’s been in town for nearly three weeks, and from the moment I met her, I knew there was something else to her than what she tries to portray. I see it in her eyes when she looks at me, especially when her defenses are down.
I shake my head, pulling my cell out and clicking on my playlist, clicking on “Shut Up and Dance,” nodding my head at the beat and rolling the mats up.
I open my mouth, singing along with the words, playing the air guitar and letting my head hang back as I close my eyes, the music flowing through me.
Holding my hands up in the air, I scream the chorus, rolling my hips and lifting one foot off the floor, spinning around and dropping my air guitar on the floor, picking up my imaginary drumsticks and smashing my invisible drums with them.
A melodic laugh catches my attention and I snap my head up, watching Lexi’s lips that are lifted into a smile as her foot taps to the beat.
“Having fun?”
I nod at her and shake my hips some more, moving closer to her.